To Kindle Hope
by Father Hulk
Summary: The novelization of Final Fantasy III. What happens when the Void threatens to overwhelm all?


**To Kindle Hope**  
_Being the third part of the Final Fantasy_

By Father Hulk

Disclaimer: I own not any of these characters or worlds, they belong to Square-Enix.

_In the beginning, there was the Void…_

An old woman walks into a cave… she is slightly hunched over, and has a nose you could hang a hat on. She wears a tattered dress and a large straw hat with a feather in it. On her shoulder is a red parrot, which, despite the nature of its species, is not squawking and repeating human speech; it is shivering, its head buried in its back.

This old woman descends into the cave; the corridor is lit by the shine of fantastic crystals protruding from the floors and the walls. She shuffles forward at a steady pace, her eyelids somewhat drooping; she does not seem happy.

Eventually, the narrow corridor widens and becomes a large chamber. Slightly to the left of the entrance to this corridor is an old man. He is cloaked almost entirely in a red robe; a hood covers almost his whole face, a bushy white mustache barely visible above a frowning mouth.

This old man steps forward to greet the old woman. "Unei…" he says, "I am glad to see you made it safely."

"Always, Doga," Unei says, not bothering to look up, her eyelids remaining droopy. "It is good to see you."

"Indeed," replies Doga, "Although I wish the circumstances were more positive…"

"Oh, Doga… I know I should not be so upset…" Unei shows signs of emotion for the first time. "It is, after all, just like everything else… there is creation, life and death. But…" She sighs.

"I am just as shaken as you," Doga murmurs. "However, there is little we can do other than accept it…"

"Indeed…" Unei mutters, and she looks past Doga into the chamber, and then over her shoulder. "Is Xande here yet?"

"No." Doga replies. "I am waiting for him before I visit with Noah."

"Do we have that time?" Unei asks worriedly.

"I am certain he will not be much longer," Doga assures her. "Xande would surely recognize the importance of this situation. He is wise well beyond his years, and they are many."

"I agree," Unei says, nodding. "He has, after all, been doing a phenomenal job guarding the earth and water crystals for all these years. Noah saw great potential in him, and rightly so."

"Although…" Doga murmurs, scratching his mustache, "I have been noticing a growing arrogance in him these past few years."

"I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about," Unei says. "After all, when people get old, they start to get angry."

"Is that so?" Doga says. "I think you're speaking untruths, because never once have you snapped at me!"

"How dare you!" Unei screeches, slapping the old man on the back of the head. But then she calms down, and says, "I don't know, though… Xande is different. He seems so…"

"I seem so what?" Interrupts a rough-sounding voice. This voice belonged to a tall, pale-skinned figure wearing a flowing red cape and elegant clothing, with a mane of white hair that came down to the back of his neck.

"So shaken by Noah's illness," Unei says after turning to greet him.

"Hmph. Anyone with ears can realize that is not what you intended to say," Xande said, turning up his nose. "But we have, indeed, more important things on our hands now."

"I was worried you were unable to find this place," Doga says.

Xande glares at the old man. "I have walked this world over five thousand times, master Doga. There is nowhere I cannot find."

"Then the mystery surrounding your failing punctuality deepens," Doga says with some amusement.

"If you've come to argue…" Xande begins, but Unei steps in.

"That's enough! While we bicker, Lord Noah grows weaker. Let us visit with him."

The three nod to each other, and proceed into the large chamber. Upon the bed in the center, tucked under the covers, is a figure which, if it were standing, and the robes which now lay limp against wrinkled skin were billowing with the power the figure once commanded, one would find quite intimidating, even threatening. But now there was only stillness, and sadness in the figure's eyes. Bushy white eyebrows seem to droop over closed eyes; a beak of a nose breathes rapidly; the cracked lips of an aged mouth are entirely silent. This man was once the most powerful wizard in the world.

"Lord Noah…" Doga whispers. "We have come."

Although the wizard appeared to have been in a deep sleep, he awakes immediately at these words. "Oh… Sage Doga…" he murmurs. "It is good that you came at my request. We… have urgent business."

"And what business is that?" Xande asks, almost snappishly.

"I… don't have much longer…" Noah says quietly. "Before I go, we must discuss your destinies."

"Our… destinies, my lord?" Doga asks.

Noah continues. "As you know, light and darkness are always at war. Every thousand years, imbalance comes to the two forces. It is our duty to aid those who would restore equilibrium. For this task, I have gifts for each of you."

Doga, Unei, and Xande look at each other questioningly.

"Doga… approach me." Noah says. When Doga is at his side, he says, "To you, Sage Doga, I bestow upon you the power of magic. To be able to manipulate the elements is a powerful skill: do not abuse it." Noah reaches out and takes Doga's hand. There is a golden light that surrounds the bed, which remains for a moment and then fades.

"Th-thank you, my lord…" Doga says, bowing.

"Unei…" Noah says, and the old woman approaches. "The world beyond the conscious mind can be a place for evil to fester. I will give you the power to hold sway over this world: the power of dreams." A silver light surrounds the bed, and then fades away.

_"He has been good to those two,"_ Xande thought smugly, _"My gift will be kingly."_

"Xande, come hither," Noah commands after Unei steps away. "My gift for you is perhaps the most precious anyone could ever ask for: mortality."

Xande's smile fades rapidly. "You… you're joking, aren't you?"

"I am not." Noah replies. "When one is immortal, time may be squandered. To be responsible for the best choices one can make in a lifetime… the gods envy that circumstance."

"I… I'll not let you turn me into a human!" Xande snarls. "What kind of nonsense is that, after you bestow such riches upon these two?"

He starts to turn away, but Noah, with surprising speed for his condition, grabs his hand. A black light surrounds the bed and disappears. Xande struggles in the old man's grip, and he finally wrenches himself free, and in doing so hurls himself against the cave wall.

A small trickle of blood begins to come from the man's nose. Xande reaches up, touches it, and looks at it. His gaze burns into Noah. "You… what have you done to me?!"

"Xande, you must realize…" Doga begins.

"Silence!" Xande roars. "You have not given me a gift… you've given me a curse!"

"This is my final blessing…" Noah murmurs, his eyes closing. "Farewell…" Thus perished the magus Noah.

"Noah!" Unei cries, clutching the old man's hand.

"Good riddance!" Xande snaps, spitting. "I will not forget this day! You will all suffer for this injustice!"

"Begone from us, then," Doga growls. "You have not even the goodness to honor our master in death."

Xande did not say any more. He wipes the blood from his nose and storms out of the cave.

Doga looks at Unei worriedly. "Why do I have the feeling that Noah's gift will be the undoing of Kal?"

_To be continued…_


End file.
